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Terrorists Get a Phone Upgrade

Silicon Valley firms should find ways to comply with U.S. court orders or expect Congress to order them to do so.

By

L. Gordon Crovitz

Nov. 23, 2014 5:04 p.m. ET

It’s a good thing Najibullah Zazi didn’t have access to a modern iPhone or Android device a few years ago when he plotted to blow up New York City subway stations. He was caught because his email was tapped by intelligence agencies—a practice that Silicon Valley firms recently decided the U.S. government is no longer permitted.

Apple, Google, Facebook and others are playing with fire, or in the case of Zazi with a plot to blow up subway stations under Grand Central and Times Square on Sept. 11, 2009. An Afghanistan...